Wanda's Story

“I never thought I would end up homeless,” Wanda said. After all, she had family she thought she could count on. However, she had a rocky relationship with her sisters and her grown children lived in Louisiana. When Wanda lost her home, she came to Mel Trotter, reasoning, “This was better than being on the streets. I had a place to stay, lay my head, food to eat. What more could you ask for?”

As it turned out, Mel Trotter had much more to offer Wanda than a bed and a meal. “Everybody helped me out,” she remembered. “My advocate, Tracy, helped me start saving money, which I really hadn’t done in the past. She would help me with resources and looking for places.”

In addition to receiving practical advice and training, Wanda enjoyed spiritual restoration during her stay, attended chapel and Bible studies at Mel Trotter, and sang in her church choir. “It kept me focused and positive.”

Wanda’s positive attitude will serve her well as she looks for work. She started nursing school while at Mel Trotter and earned a certificate. "I wondered, at my age, am I going to make it? I kept the faith. I knew I was going to achieve it and I did." She has her resume out and is confident that she'll find a job soon.

God put me on this journey for a reason.

In the meantime, Wanda finally has a place to call her own. “It felt good to have my own space, my privacy,” she said. “I was just blessed.”

Because of her journey at Mel Trotter, Wanda can now see a positive future for herself. “I might get married again if I find the right person and maybe own a home,” she shared.

Speaking of her restoration experience at Mel Trotter, Wanda said, “God put me on this journey for a reason, and I got a lot out of it.”

Because you care, there are many more people who won’t have to live on the street tonight and will be welcomed—without judgment—through the doors of Mel Trotter Ministries.